I don't do much in the way of panos, but I do have a Nodal Ninja. I feel rather stupid. I hadn't thought of that. Presumably the upper rail is only useful if you are going to do rows above and or below the centred series. Makes for a much lighter set up.

Here's my DP2M w/ grip-L-plate mounted to a simple pano setup using Nodal Ninja 5. After sighting in the nodal point using the target and arm on the NN I removed the vertical riser and use only the indexed pan part of the NN.

http://optechusa.com/hipster-pouch.htmlXL size is 6" x 4" x 2.5", holds camera, camera plate (should hold L bracketed camera), spare battery, spare card, lens hood. Closeup lens will fit in as well, if spare battery and cards moved to some other pocket, but as the closeup lens has its own small protective case, why bother? The Hoodman is dangling off the shoulder strap.

Thanks to Nancy for that suggestion. The XL size is indeed necessary for the DP2M with the Milich L-bracket and grip. If you are going minimalist, the Optech Hipster Large will handle a naked DP2M with lens cap only. Another alternative that accommodates the camera with L-bracket and grip plus a 49mm collapsable rubber lens hood and cap is the Ape Case AC150. The Ape Case takes the camera vertically, while the Optech Hipster Pouches open along the long side.